Production still from the Exclusive video "assume vivid astro focus: Masks."
Our latest Exclusive video is now live! Watch assume vivid astro focus: Masks on Art21.org!
Filmed in his Brooklyn studio, Eli Sudbrack—founding member of assume vivid astro focus—discusses the motivations behind the collective’s use of masks during public events and installations. Originally created to enjoy personal anonymity at openings, avaf have continued to use masks in their work as a way to create equality between itself and the audience and to encourage free personal expression. Masks have had an important role in avaf’s numerous projects including “assume vivid astro focus XI” at the Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz Private Collection, Miami (2004), “homocrap#1” at MOCA, Los Angeles (2005), “Super #3” at Maison des Arts de Créteil, Paris (2008), “absolutely venomous accurately fallacious (naturally delicious)” at Deitch Projects, Long Island City (2008), and “antonella varicella arabella fiorella” at Enel Contemporanea, Rome (2008).
assume vivid astro focus is featured in the Season 6 (2012) episode “Boundaries” of the Art in the Twenty-First Century series on PBS. Watch full episodes online for free via Art21.org, PBS Video or Hulu, as a paid download via iTunes, or as part of a Netflix streaming subscription.
CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Joel Shapiro. Sound: Roger Phenix. Editor: Morgan Riles & Mark Sutton. Artwork Courtesy: assume vivid astro focus. Additional Photography Courtesy: Rick Castro, Rodrigo Garcia Dutra, Steph Goralnick, Kristy Leibowitz, Yves Malenfer, Kat Mareck, Kleber Matheus, Marino Paoloni, Alfredo Piola, Tom Powel, Bec Stupak & Josh White. Theme Music: Peter Foley.